The FASEB Summer Research Conference on "Trace Elements in Biology and Medicine" will be held in Snowmass, Colorado, June 13 -18, 2010. This will be the 11th conference held in the Trace Element meeting series. Trace elements are of vital importance in biology, medicine, and agriculture, and as such have great impact on human health. The FASEB Summer Research Conference on Trace Elements will bring together basic, applied and clinical scientist to share and discuss the most exciting and important breakthroughs in understanding of both basic and applied aspects of trace element homeostasis and metabolism. The interactions facilitated by previous meetings have led to a number of fruitful collaborations and partnerships that have increased the pace of discovery in this field. The 2010 FASEB Summer Research Conference will focus on the trace elements iron (Fe), selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), as these elements serve critical roles in biology and human health. Evidence of this is the ever-increasing number of discoveries showing these trace elements as essential components of enzymes and other bio-molecules, playing roles as catalysts, sensors, in regulatory molecules and as structural co-factors. The rapidly growing number of new investigators and independent researchers whose research focuses on these key trace elements further illustrates the importance of this field and the demand for the opportunity to communicate and interact. Given the importance of the field and its potential to continue to provide groundbreaking discoveries of broad fundamental importance, and the large scientific demand for opportunities to communicate, interact, and build productive collaborations, the topic of this meeting is both exciting and timely. The FASEB Summer Research Conference on Trace Elements in Biology and Medicine will focus on the most exciting and important breakthroughs in understanding the intersection of biology and medicine in trace element metabolism. Trace elements hold great importance for human health, illustrated most clearly in the wide range of diseases and disorders associated with defects in trace element metabolism. In addition, trace elements are at the intersection of agriculture and human health, and are vital components of proper nutrition.